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The Rolex Daytona Has a New Bezel and It’s a World of Difference

Rolex’s Cosmograph Daytona comes in a variety of case materials — white gold, rose gold, yellow gold (they have a thing for gold, apparently) and platinum. Steel is also an option, but it’s sometimes overlooked. Funny then, that the mere addition of a new bezel and some dials is bringing the steel Daytona plenty of attention.

The big news is the bezel — new with “Cerachrom.” It’s a one-piece ceramic part that, through physical vapor deposition (PVD), has given the numerals on the bezel’s tachymeter scale a platinum finish for visibility. The addition of ceramic is a solid move on Rolex’s part — it’s a scratch-resistant material that won’t fade when faced with UV light. And it nods to the 1965 version, which used a less advanced black plexiglass ceramic insert. The Daytona also features two new dial options: a white dial with black accents on the sub dial and a black dial with silver accents.

The watch is powered by Rolex’s calibre 4130 automatic chronograph movement, but it is now accurate to +2/-2 seconds per day, which the brand notes is twice that of the requirement for COSC certification. Just like the new bezel and dials, it’s a small change that makes for a notable improvement over the previous steel Daytona.